Scottish Executive

Apprenticeships

The following answer was sent to the member on 24 July 2001:

Apprenticeships

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people who started modern apprenticeships in 1999-2000 have since completed their apprenticeships.

Ms Wendy Alexander: Of the young people who started Modern Apprenticeships in 1999-2000, by mid-June 1,077 have completed their apprenticeships. Modern Apprenticeships can start at any time in the year. Completion dates will vary according to individuals’ needs and different business sector frameworks.

Care of Elderly People

The following answers were sent to the member on 5 January 2001:

Care of Elderly People

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what additional funding it will make available to local authorities to meet the costs of providing a permanent place in a nursing home for the 2,000 pensioners currently on waiting lists, following Lord Hardie’s recent judgement in the Court of Session in the recent Arthur MacGregor case.

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive over what timescale all local authorities will be expected to comply with Lord Hardie’s recent judgement in the Court of Session in the recent Arthur McGregor case.

Susan Deacon: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-12200 on 6 March 2001.

General Practitioners

The following answer was sent to the member on 24 July 2001:

General Practitioners

Ben Wallace (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people are currently in training to be general practitioners.

Susan Deacon: The number of GP Registrars employed in general medical practices in NHSScotland at 1 October 2000 was 261. This is the latest information available for those who can be identified as being in training to become general practitioners.

Road Accidents

The following question was not answered on 7 February 2002 in error:

Road Accidents

Mr Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking in respect of road accident rates in rural areas.

Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive reviews annually accidents on trunk roads and investigates clusters of accidents at particular locations and routes with high accident rates. The Executive undertakes annually a programme of road safety remedial measures on the trunk road network targeted at such locations.

  Local authorities are responsible for road safety on local roads in their areas. In particular, local authorities are required to investigate accidents on local roads and to carry out a programme of measures to prevent such accidents.

  The Scottish Executive provides funding to the Scottish Road Safety Campaign for the development of key road safety education materials and publicity messages. Copies of the campaign’s Annual Report and Business Plan for 2001-02 are available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 17135).

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body

Non-Executive Bills

Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Presiding Officer how much has been paid for legal advice to assist with the drafting of non-executive Bills in each of the last three years and to whom the money was paid.

Sir David Steel: The cost of legal advice provided to members to assist with the drafting of non-executive bills is subsumed within the costs of the Legal Services Directorate and the Non-Executive Bills Unit. In respect of the costs of services from expert draftsman there is an annual budget of £80,800.

Non-Executive Bills

Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Presiding Officer what legal assistance is available to members with the drafting of non-executive Bills and who provides that advice.

Sir David Steel: Assistance to all members in relation to non-executive bills is available from the Non-Executive Bills Unit to the point of lodging a proposal. Further assistance can be provided where criteria agreed by the SPCB is met. Assistance in the drafting of instructions for non-executive bills is given through the Non-Executive Bills Unit who are supported by the Parliament's Directorate of Legal Services. The drafting of bills is by a panel of expert draftsman contracted to the Parliament.